Jung Woo-taek: "Drunk Driving Offenders Must Take Responsibility for Child Support of Victims"

Published 18 Apr.2023 13:50(KST)

Representative Proposal of the Amendment to the Litigation Promotion Act

Following the 'Bae Seung-ah case,' ruling party lawmakers have proposed a bill focusing on the public disclosure of personal information of drunk driving offenders, and another bill has been introduced that requires drunk driving offenders to compensate for the child support of the victim's children.

On the 18th, Chung Woo-taek, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, announced that he has taken the lead in proposing the "Partial Amendment to the Special Act on the Promotion of Litigation," which includes provisions requiring offenders to compensate for child-rearing expenses of the victim's minor children if the victim dies or suffers severe injuries that make economic activity impossible due to drunk driving.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Speaker Chung said, "Drunk driving is a serious crime that not only takes a person's life but also instantly destroys the victim's family, so meticulous support for victims is urgently needed," adding, "Especially for victim families with minor children, it is necessary to discuss effective measures, including having the offender take direct responsibility for child-rearing."

This law is similar to the "Ethan's, Hailey's, and Bentley's law," which was enacted in Tennessee, USA, in January this year and is currently undergoing legislative procedures in more than 20 states across the United States. The "Ethan's, Hailey's, and Bentley's law" was named after victims of fatal drunk driving accidents.